Across cassava-producing communities, women sustain one of Nigeria’s most consumed staple foods through a layered system of labour, ownership, and machinery, where survival work continues daily under trees, makeshits shelters and within processing centres
The smell of fermented cassava hangs in the air long before the work comes into view, sharp, sour, and heavy in the morning heat.
In Gabaraku in Bida Local Government Area and Gwada in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, among other areas, women are already at work beneath scattered trees, sitting on bare ground with buckets, knives, and piles of cassava tubers spread around them.
A few steps away stand government-supported processing centres established under the Federal Government/ International Fund for Agricultural Development, (IFAD)-backed Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) in the state.
They are functional with platforms, water points, and structured processing spaces. But the most visible labour is happening outside the centres.
Under the trees, the work begins
Nigeria produces more cassava than any country in the world, yet much of it is still processed by hand.
Nigeria remains the world’s largest producer of cassava, with annual output running into tens of millions of metric tonnes.
A significant portion of this is processed into garri, a staple food eaten daily across homes. In practical terms, millions of Nigerians rely on garri every day, making it one of the most consistently consumed foods in the country.
Across cassava-producing communities, women dominate the processing stage from peeling and washing to frying and drying.
In many rural clusters, they make up the overwhelming majority of the workforce, sustaining a system where production depends more on physical effort than machinery.
It is this largely unseen labour that keeps garri available in markets and homes across the country.
Economy built in layers
What unfolds is not one system, but several working at once.
Some women own cassava and bring it for processing into garri for sale.
Others do not own anything. They survive through daily labour, peeling cassava, pressing sacks, or frying garri for small payments.
A third group standing slightly apart comprises machine owners who provide grating services for a fee.
Together, they form the hidden structure behind one of Nigeria’s most consumed staple foods.
Hauwawu Under The Tree
Under a tree in Gabaraku community, 22-year-old Hauwawu sits on the bare ground, peeling cassava with steady, practiced movements.
Beside her, her four-month-old baby lies on a small cloth spread over the dust.
Around her, other women continue working with knives scraping cassava in a rhythm that does not break.
At one point during the visit, the baby is lifted briefly and held for a few minutes.
There is no pause in the work.
Moments later, the child is returned to the cloth. Hauwawu adjusts it slightly, leans forward, and continues peeling cassava as the cluster around her carries on.
Her hands do not stop.
“I don’t have anything doing,” she stated quietly, adding: “So I come out every day to peel cassava to earn something for my children.”
Halima: Years Of The Same Work
Not far from her, Halima, 45, works through her own pile of cassava, her wrapper tied tightly around her as she peels.
Her hands move steadily, though slower than the younger women around her.
“I have been doing this work for years. It is not easy, but it is what we have,” she explained.
She paused briefly to stretch her fingers before returning to the pile:
“If I don’t come out, there is no money for the day.”
Around them, cassava peels gather on the ground as dust rises in the heat.
Amina: Eight Children To Feed
Amina, a mother of eight, sits on a low stool beside a growing heap of cassava, peeling quickly as the morning heat builds.
Her work is constant, driven less by routine and more by urgency.
“I have many children to take care of,” she explained without looking up.
“If I don’t come out to work, there will be nothing at home,” she further stated.
She adjusted her wrapper and continued: “This work is what keeps us going.”
The Crushing Machine And Its Owner
At the centre of the process, the sound changes.
A machine roars as cassava is fed into it in steady batches. The machine is owned by an individual operator who charges for each use.
Women arrive with basins of peeled cassava, waiting their turn as the machine runs continuously.
Wet cassava mash spills out in thick heaps, quickly gathered by waiting hands before the next batch follows.
Some women without cassava of their own remain near the machine, assisting by feeding cassava into the grinder or carrying the mash away.
They are paid small amounts for their effort.
In the whole process, the machine owner does not peel or fry.
as his income comes from every turn of the machine.
From Pressing To Fire: The Work Does Not Slow
After grating, the cassava mash is packed into sacks and tightly pressed to remove excess water.
The liquid drains out sometimes through channels provided at the processing centres, and in other cases directly onto the surrounding ground where drainage is limited.
The mash is then left to ferment briefly before further processing.
From here, it is sieved to remove fibres and lumps, breaking it into fine granules ready for frying.
Processing takes different directions at this stage depending on use.
Some batches are taken straight to the frying stage to produce garri commonly used for making eba, a staple swallow eaten in many homes.
Others are allowed to ferment longer, developing the sour taste preferred by those who soak garri in water for drinking.
Near the frying area, Kaka, 50, stands over a wide pan, turning garri over firewood.
Smoke circles her face as heat rises sharply from the stove.
“This work needs strength,” she noted without stopping, adding: “If you are tired and you stop, the garri will burn”
She adjusted her stance slightly and continued stirring.
“We have been doing it like this for a long time,” she added.
After frying, garri is spread out to dry.
Some women use elevated platforms provided within the processing centres.
Others spread theirs on sacks or bare ground under the sun, depending on where they work.
Children move in and out of the workspace. Some helping, others sitting quietly beside their mothers.
Not all women occupy the same position in this system.
Cassava owners carry the risk and eventual profit of production.
Labourers depend on daily earnings from peeling, frying, and processing while machine owners earn from service.
But across all three, income remains uncertain.
The Price Of The Day’s Work
Gogo sits beside a sack of finished garri, tying it carefully as others prepare theirs for sale.
Her work for the moment is done, but the uncertainty remains.
“The problem is selling,” she observed, adding: “You can work all day and still not get good money.”
She tightens the sack and looks toward the others.
“Sometimes buyers come and price it low. We don’t have a choice,” she stated.
Inside And Outside The Structure
Inside the processing centres, cooperative members work with training, shared facilities, and access to organised markets under the VCDP programme.
One beneficiary, Patience Jeremiah, says the training has improved her processing methods and helped her access better market opportunities.
But just beyond the centres, independent women continue differently.
They are not part of cooperatives.
“We want to be on our own,” one woman says.
They rely on daily labour, informal buyers, and flexible arrangements that allow them to earn as they work.
Both systems exist in the same communities — side by side, but not together.
The End Of The Day
As evening approaches, the rhythm begins to slow.
Sacks of garri are tied and lifted.
Firewood smoke fades into the air just as the smell of cassava lingers across both the processing centres and the open spaces under trees.
Each sack represents hours of labour, peeling, crushing, pressing, sieving, frying, and drying and carried out through multiple hands and multiple systems.
In Nigeria’s cassava economy, garri is not just produced, it is worked into existence daily.
And under trees and inside processing centres alike, the same labour begins again when morning returns.
The Nigerian Air Force says its airstrikes have successfully destroyed terrorist hideouts in the Southern Tumbuns area of Borno.
This is contained in a statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, on Saturday in Abuja.
Ejodame said the operation was conducted on Friday at about 1850 hours over Ali Sheriffti, a known terrorist enclave, following credible intelligence on insurgent activities.
“The NAF air assets carried out a focused surveillance sweep, during which several insurgents were sighted moving along concealed tracks and were trailed to structures hidden under dense foliage.
“Following positive identification, the NAF executed a precise strike, engaging the structures with onboard munitions.
“The operation achieved the desired effect, with terrorist structures destroyed, further degrading their capability and freedom of movement in the area,” he said.
Ejodame said the strike underscored NAF’s sustained commitment to intelligence-led and precision-driven operations aimed at denying terrorists safe havens.
He quoted the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, as reaffirming the force’s resolve to sustain pressure on terrorist networks.
He added that operations would continue with increased intensity to safeguard the nation and its citizens.
“The Nigerian Air Force will continue to pursue and dismantle terrorist networks with unwavering precision and relentless force, ensuring no enclave remains beyond our reach,” he said.
The Federal Government on Friday trained about 210 youths in Oyo State on digital marketing, cybersecurity basics, remote work, and technology-enabled entrepreneurship.
The digital literacy and empowerment programme was facilitated by a lawmaker representing Ibadan North-West/Ibadan South-West Federal Constituency and a Governorship aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Stanley Olajide, in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency.
The event was held at Dapo Aderogba Hall, Nigeria Union of Journalists state Secretariat, Iyaganku Government Reserved Area, Ibadan, the state capital.
Olajide, popularly called Odidiomo, explained that his priorities include establishing tech and innovation hubs to position Ibadan as the technology capital of the South-West.
The chairman of the House Committee on Digital, Information Communication Technology and Cybersecurity described the practical as a response to the challenge of youth unemployment and the urgent need to bridge the digital divide.
He said, “I serve as a representative and remain actively engaged in committees related to ICT, cybersecurity, and other areas of technology. Technology is not just a field for me; it is a passion.
“A key priority is how we can empower our youth, both men and women, by equipping them with the skills they need to succeed. This is central to everything I do, because the future of Nigeria depends on them,” he said.
The lawmaker indicated that the programme is being expanded in phases, with additional cohorts already scheduled to scale its impact beyond the current beneficiaries.
“Regarding this programme, we have about 210 beneficiaries participating today, with an additional 150 set to begin next week. This will bring the total to approximately 360 participants in this phase. We plan to run up to ten phases before the end of the year; this is the second phase, following an earlier one held late last year.
“Beyond training, participants received financial support ranging between N30,000 and M50,000 to help them launch digital ventures. This move was deliberately structured to ensure immediate access and transparency.
“Each participant is receiving financial support, between N30,000 and N50,000, to help them get started. I made it a point that these funds be given in cash to avoid any issue related to network failures or delays in transfers, ensuring transparency and that everyone receives what they are entitled to,” he explained.
Olajide stressed that the programme represented only a foundational step in a longer-term plan to integrate Nigerian youths into emerging global technology ecosystems, including artificial intelligence and blockchain.“We must provide young people with the right tools and knowledge to prepare them for what lies ahead. This training programme is only a starting point.
“We intend to build on it with more advanced opportunities, including areas like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and other emerging technologies. However, for these to be effective, there must be a strong foundation, and that is what we are laying now,“ Olajide said.
Drawing comparisons with global best practices, he pointed to India’s transformation through sustained investment in technology training, noting that similar efforts could reposition Nigerian cities as innovation hubs.
“I often reflect on how countries like India addressed youth unemployment by investing in technology training, eventually transforming cities like Bangalore into global tech hubs. In the same way, we can position Ibadan and the state as leading technology hubs in West Africa and beyond,” the lawmaker stated.
The lawmaker added that the broader objective is to provide participants with practical skills, entrepreneurial support and the tools required to compete in a rapidly evolving digital economy.
“Our goal is to give participants baseline skills, startup support, and the tools they need to begin their journey. Stay focused, embrace what you have learned with passion, continue to develop your skills, and use the resources provided wisely. The future is in your hands,“ he said.
He, therefore, urged the beneficiaries to make use of the training and tools judiciously.
Earlier, the NITDA representative, Eedris Faruk, said the participants were equipped with skills in digital literacy, AI, responsible platform use, and online business setup to drive education, entrepreneurship, and employment.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has warned content creators to stop using its name, logo and likeness in skits and other media productions without approval, saying such portrayals misrepresent its operations and warning that violators will be prosecuted.
In a video message shared on Saturday via its X page, the commission said, “It has come to the attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that some individuals and content creators are using the name, logo and likeness of EFCC in skits and other media content.
“Many of these skits misrepresent our values and standard operating procedures. We wish to inform the general public that the EFCC has not authorised any such use.”
The agency added, “The EFCC does not endorse, sponsor or approve any comedy, drama or online content that uses our identity without written consent.”
It further directed the public to comply immediately, stating, “Therefore, the public is hereby advised to cease and desist from using our name, logo, uniforms or any identifying elements in skits or promotional content without prior written approval. Be warned, all who violate these instructions shall be prosecuted.”
The warning comes amid earlier concerns by the commission over rising cases of impersonation and fake sting operations by individuals posing as its officers.
The EFCC had said intelligence available to it indicated that fraudsters were deploying “ingenious but fraudulent means” to tarnish its image, including tactics involving gangs operating around popular eateries and fun spots in major cities, where unsuspecting youths are targeted.
